Hawaaiin Kinship Structure

Hawaaiin kinship structures are one of the main types of kinship structures found today. They are quite different from the kinship structures that we find in most parts of the United States. In Hawaaiin kinship structures, the extended family is concentrated on with much more importance than most of us are used to.
Aunts and Uncles are called mom and dad, and cousins are reffered to as brother or sister. This difference is seen more than just in name. Child rearing, shared expenses, and familial support that we as United States citizens are most likely unaccustomed to are shared within the extended family, and close knit circles are formed.
Mutual support in this particular familial structure is expected and reciprocated, and the benefits of a wider spread family can be seen quite obviously. As the old saying goes, it takes a village to raise a child, and the Hawaaiins, as well as those who practice Hawaaiin kinship structures, seem to have taken this to heart.